Safe and Sound
by micbb
Summary: Based on the Taylor Swift song by the same name. It's easier to face your nightmares when you have someone to hold your hand. "I've got you now. We're safe. Close your eyes, I'll be here when you wake up."
1. Chapter 1

**As mentioned in the summary, this fic was written as I was listening to the song Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift (if you want a treat, go to youtube and look up Safe and Sound Fienne - it's incredible). There is no real romance, but it can be assumed if you squint.**

 **This story is 3 chapters long and the other two are already written. The second should be posted on Monday.**

 **Please, please, PLEASE leave a review - good or bad - to let me know what you thought of this story. Reviews are a massive motivator for me and I love to hear what people think of what I write, whether it's criticism or compliments or prompts.**

When Rose woke, the lights in the TARDIS were still dim, indicating they were still in the ship's designated sleep cycle. She tossed and turned for a few moments, not quite ready to leave the comfort of the soft bed that had been provided for her by the TARDIS. When she realized that for whatever reason, she wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep, she shoved the blankets aside and sat up, stretching beside she slipped her feet into her plush slippers and standing fully.

She quietly made her way out of her bedroom, surprised to see the lights of the rest of the ship were dim as well. She realized the Doctor must be sleeping; the ship would have turned on the lights completely if that wasn't the case.

She made her way to the galley, only half paying attention to where she was going as she let the TARDIS prod her in the right direction.

An unintelligible shout made her stop short, her eyes widening as she looked around. There were two people on the TARDIS, and she was one of them.

The Doctor was shouting.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Rose let the ship guide her to the heavy wooden door that led to the Doctor's bedroom. She placed her hand on the handle and hesitated. The Doctor had never let her into his bedroom before, and she didn't want to intrude.

Another shout strengthened her resolve and she twisted the handle, stepping into the dark room. Her eyes adjusted and she could make out the shape of the Doctor, his comforter thrown to the side and his sheets twisted around his frame. He was shouting and she could just barely make out some of the words – _Don't! No! No more! NO MORE!_ – and she advanced carefully, moving so she was kneeling next to his bed and could see his face. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his forehead was creased into a deep frown. He thrashed violently against the sheets that had wrapped around him, constraining his movements.

He stopped for a moment, and the next word that came from his lips was no more than a whimper.

" _Rose."_

Rose bit her lip and reached out to gingerly touch his hand. "Doctor," she whispered, taking hold of his hand. He thrashed again, crying out, and she spoke with more force this time, "Doctor, wake up. Doctor."

His eyes flew open and she could see the panic and fire in his crystal blue gaze, even in the dark room. She quietly said his name again in what she hoped was a soothing tone and his gaze snapped to her. Gently, she reached forward and stroked the side of his face. "It's alright," she whispered, "you're alright."

"Rose," he breathed, frowning confusedly at her. "What are you doing here?" She could still see the stress from his nightmare written across his face and in his guarded blue eyes, and her heart broke a little.

"You were shouting in your sleep," she told him quietly, continuing to gently stroke his cheek and squeezing his hand comfortingly.

His grip on her hand tightened suddenly, almost painfully, but she said nothing, letting him take whatever comfort he needed from her. He tugged hesitantly on her hand, and she took the cue. Moving slowly in case he changed his mind, she rose from her kneeling position and slipped under the blanket, keeping a grip on his hand. She settled on her side, her head on the same pillow as his, and met his gaze squarely.

After several moments of him simply soaking in her presence, letting the steady beat of her single heart and warm gaze calm his racing pulse and breath, he spoke quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It was the war," he told her, hating how the pain was evident in his tone and missing the armor of his leather jacket, as though the material could shield his mind from lingering hurt. The darkness of the war threatened to overpower the tentative grip he had on his sanity, a shadow creeping along the edge of his thoughts, fighting to stay in all his thoughts. "It's always the war." He repeated bitterly.

She said nothing for a few minutes, simply gazing at him with whiskey eyes that were as intoxicating as the drink that shared their colour. Then she sighed deeply. "I've got you now," She promised him quietly.

Though the words were spoken softly, the strength of the promise lifted a weight off his chest and he let out a deep huff at her words, feeling tears build in his eyes. He hated himself for the display of vulnerability and blinked them away, refusing to let a single one fall.

"Close your eyes," she whispered, leaning forward and pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead. "We're safe. I'll be right here when you wake up."

 **Review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! Sorry for the delay, loves. School got in the way. An OOC Doctor who is very glad to see that Rose still knows who he is.**

Rose shuddered as the words of the beast echoed in her mind.

 _The valiant child, who will die in battle so very soon…_

The Doctor had sent her to bed soon after her return to the TARDIS, and at the time she'd agreed – adrenalin had stopped coursing through her veins and her limbs had felt heavy. But as she'd laid in her bed, the words had returned to the forefront of her mind and whenever she closed her eyes she imagined the Doctor jumping into that god-forsaken pit.

Deciding sleep wouldn't come any time soon, Rose had left her bedroom, heading to the galley for a cuppa. She'd been sitting there for several minutes, palms wrapped around the warm ceramic and eyes gazing off into the distance, trying to think of anything but the beast, its words, and losing the Doctor forever. The tea was comforting in every aspect – its warm scent and the heat on her lips and palms spoke of home and safety, and the taste was a nearly painful familiarity that grounded her. She wasn't stuck on Krop Tor, she was safe on the TARDIS, the Doctor was with her.

She was safe.

 _The valiant child, who will die in battle so very soon…_

Rose squeezed her eyes shut against the words, fighting them with every aspect of her being. She wasn't going to die. The Doctor would keep her safe. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and stood, ready to try sleeping again. She quickly washed out the mug and left it on the small drying rack before making her way out of the galley and back to her bedroom.

She passed by a familiar door when she heard a whimper. She stopped, frowning and wondering if she'd imagined things, but the whimper came again and Rose turned to look at the familiar door.

She'd been in his bedroom before, of course. Since his violent nightmare in his previous body, she'd joined him in his bed several times, each basking in the other's presence and taking comfort in their safety. Rose had never slept better than when she was wrapped up in the Doctor's arms, protected against the universe.

But she hadn't come to the Doctor since his regeneration, fearful of rejection, especially after the incident with Madame de Pompadour.

She let out a deep breath and carefully opened the door.

The bedroom was different. It was dark in the room, but Rose could still see that the previous Doctor's hard, utilitarian tastes had been replaced by this Doctor's more baroque style – eccentric and heavily decorated.

The Doctor was in his bed, and unlike her previous Doctor, he seemed to almost be drowning in blankets, a warm-looking duvet covering most of him. His handsome face was grimacing in pain from his dream, and he twitched harshly in his sleep, indicative of a nightmare. Quietly, Rose closed the door behind her and moved forward, kneeling next to his bed like she'd done so long ago with the other Doctor. She gently reached forward to stroke his cheek.

 _Burning. Everything was burning. Everyone was screaming, running,_ burning _. No matter where he looked the people screamed at him for help._

" _EXT-ER-MIN-ATE!"_

 _The vision changed suddenly, and her mind was filled with the giant beast with blazing yellow eyes that seemed sunken into it's terrifying face, horns curling from the top of its head and its mouth snarling to reveal broken and sharp teeth…_

She snatched her hand away, her eyes widening in shock and fear. What was that?

The Doctor whimpered again, his face drawn in terror and tears now leaving tracks on his cheeks, and Rose steeled herself. She could do this. This was her Doctor, and she could do this for him.

"Doctor," she whispered, reaching forward to stroke his cheek again and whimpering when the beast filled her mind again, laughing at her, mocking her…

 _No._

 _The beast didn't control her. It snarled as it was pushed aside, tossed into the corners of her mind. She pulled the feelings of safety and warmth to the forefront of her mind, hoping that if his nightmare could be projected to her, her comfort could find its way to him_.

The frown disappeared from his face and the creases left his forehead. His mouth slackened slightly.

* * *

 _The screaming dulled, as though he were gradually losing his hearing, and the Daleks and the beast disappeared, pushed away. Warmth and comfort flooded his mind, a golden tide ebbing slowly into his thoughts, chasing away the negative and promising safety and love_.

* * *

His eyes fluttered open and confused brown met warm and hopeful hazel.

"Rose," he whispered, so like his past self.

"I'm here," she told him, smiling slightly at him and reaching forward to take his hand in hers, knowing the tears from his nightmare still stained her cheeks.

"You're here," he repeated, reaching forward with his free hand and gently wiping a stray tear away. "You came. I dreamt – "

She shushed him quietly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I know," she murmured, keeping her gaze locked on his.

He shuffled away from her, a pleading expression in his eyes, and she nodded. There was no hesitancy in her movements as she quickly slipped into his warm bed – much plusher and softer than it had been before – and she moved until their faces were only centimeters apart, keeping up her gentle touches on his face. His arm snaked its way around her waist, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he rolled onto his back and she shifted to rest her head on his chest, feeling his hearts pound beneath his ribcage. A hand went to her hair and he gently ran his fingers through the soft locks. "I'm so glad you came," he told her in a strangled whisper, and Rose bent her neck to look up at him, seeing fresh tears reflect off his cheeks.

"I'll always come," she promised him quietly. "I've got you now."

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the same weight behind the promise as he had in his last regeneration. He'd feared she would abandon him to his nightmares now that she wasn't the same man she knew, but he understood, now, that her promise wasn't limited to a particular face. Regardless of what he looked like, she had him. She would always come for him.

"We're safe," she echoed her words from so long ago.

He tightened his grip on her waist. "Don't leave me here alone," he begged quietly.

He felt her shake her head against his chest. "Never," she swore. "I've got you, Doctor. I'll never let you go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Final instalment. Not canon.**

She was _here_. She was in his TARDIS, tucked safely in his bed as she slept.

She'd come back to him.

In all honest, he wasn't sure how he had ever doubted her. Rose Tyler would always do the impossible. Rose Tyler would always come for him, just as she'd promised.

He entered his bedroom quietly, opening and closing the door soundlessly behind him so as not to wake her. He didn't have to sleep tonight, having slept plenty over the past week, but he'd just gotten her back and he didn't want to spent any more time apart from her than he had to. He quickly shed his tie, suit jacket, and oxford, and exchanged his pinstriped trousers for a pair of cotton pajama pants, adding a simple black t-shirt in case she woke up and was uncomfortably with his state of undress.

He quickly settled under the blankets, perching his glasses on his nose and flicking on the dim lamp on the night stand, picking up his worn copy of _Oliver Twist_ from the same place. Just as he opened the book, a quiet whimper drew pulled his attention to the woman curled in a tight ball under the blankets.

His eyes widened when he saw tears on her cheeks and her face pulled into a fearful grimace. The whimpers morphed into cries and shouts and sobs, and he quickly put down the book, gently shaking her shoulders. "Rose. Rose, sweetheart, you're safe. You're on the TARDIS," he whispered quickly. "Rose," he spoke louder, panic edging into his tone. "Rose, wake up!"

His hand went to cup her cheek, but his thumb pressed against her temped and suddenly he was bombarded with images.

 _They flashed by too quickly for him to get a good look. He could see where he was, but the walls and ground were a frightening sterile white, and people moved in and out of his field of vision, their faces covered by masks._

 _He could move his hands or his feet, try as he might, and his head was strapped tightly into place. The cries didn't sound like him but they came from his mouth. Pain erupted live a volcano in his mind, coursing through the rest of his body in a painful surge, burning every inch. It receded for only a moment before a fresh wave hit again, and he cried out louder, the voice definitely not his._

 _The fire-y pain was gone an instant later, but a sharp prick in his arm began a course of freezing cold ice, numbing his fingers. He cried out and fought the restraints, but no one listened._

 _He was no longer in restraints – he was running through halls with more white walls and floors, stumbling uncoordinatedly as his jelly legs failed. Pain he recognized as a gunshot pierced through his chest, and he stumbled, his head hitting the ground with a painful_ smack _and his vision blurring._

 _Electricity shook his limbs as he shouted and cried in the voice that wasn't his for the torture to stop._

 _No one listened._

He fought back the horrible images that burned into his mind as tears flowed freely down his cheeks, sending waves of love and comfort across the telepathic connection. "Rose," he whispered both aloud and telepathically. "Rose, wake up, sweetheart."

She jolted awake violently. "Get away from me!" She cried, her voice breaking as she pushed away from him as quickly as possible, her eyes wild and her breathing heavy.

His hearts broke at the feral look in his Rose's eyes. "Rose, it's me." He reminded her quietly, taking care not to reach out. She would come to him – if he pressured her she would recede further into her mind and push further away from him.

"Doctor?" Her voice was a strangled whisper.

"Yes, sweetheart," he promised, "it's me. We're on the TARDIS, we're safe."

She carefully looked around her, taking in her surroundings, and then back to him. He was watching her with sad, hopeful eyes, "We're on the TARDIS?" she asked quietly, the fear draining from her eyes to reveal a painful hope and immeasurable loss.

"Yes, sweetheart," he said again, his voice gentle. She let out a shaky breath and moved back to him, pressing herself completely against him and wrapped her arms tightly against his middle, resting her head in the crook of his neck and feeling his double heartbeat welcome her home. He wrapped his arms around her and held her with just as much force, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I've got you now, Rose," he promised her, just as she'd promised him so long ago.

A quiet sob escaped her lips before she pressed them together. "Don't leave me alone," she begged quietly, hating herself for the weakness but needing the confirmation after too many years trapped alone in the parallel world.

He tightened his hold. "Never," he promised, the weight of love for her strengthening the promise. "You'll be alright, Rose. I've got you, and I'm never letting go." She let out another shaking breath and relaxed slightly. He shifted from his sitting position so that he was laying on his back and Rose could lie comfortably against him, not even bothering with his book.

Tonight, he would lay with her and hold her. He would keep the nightmares at bay, just as she'd done for him more times than he could count. He would keep her safe. He ran his fingers through her hair – no longer bottle-blonde, but a beautiful golden blonde – and kept a tight hold on her waist. "No one's going to hurt you anymore, Rose," he swore to her, though he wasn't certain she understood him as sleep began to overtake her again. Her breathing evening out and her heart slowed back down, beating out a more regular rhythm against his double pulse. He could feel a lingering tension in her shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're safe," he promised again, certain she wouldn't hear the promise that was more for him than her.

He hummed a Gallifreyan lullaby as he held Rose against him, resolving never to let her go. He would keep her safe.


End file.
